Fulton's on the River - High Quality Delicacies

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Twin Wild Cold Water Lobster Tails

Don't let the word "cold" steer you away from this voluptuousness especially when there are two seven ounces wild cold water lobster tails, boiled with melted butter and served with grilled lemon.  If you're a fan of sweeter and more tender seafood, cold water lobster is the way to go.  Already succulent with a luxurious texture, Fulton's escalates the natural flavor simply by broiling it with melted butter.  These lobster tails are so luscious; the melted butter on the side is not necessary.

Firecracker Glazed Shrimp

The Firecracker Glazed Shrimp definitely brings excitement to your taste buds and more.  The crispy fried jumbo shrimps are gently blanketed with a tempura-like batter and smothered in a spicy yet sweet sauce.  Each bite stimulates a blissful moment and reminds you that this is what seafood done right should taste like.  This appetizer calls for jumbo shrimp, maybe in Fulton's mind for sharing, but I say it's because they know you can't get enough.  I don't recommend sharing because everyone would want their own.

Fresh Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes

Fulton's Fresh Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes are served with their house made tartar sauce and coleslaw.  No imitations or non-sense fillers here, just nice white tender succulent crabmeat.  The only complaint is that the slaw is a bit too tangy and acidic; I left it alone, leaving the meal missing a complementing flavor component.  But the crab cakes are still absolutely delicious; I would order it again.

Seared Seasonal Scallops

Surf and turf doesn't always have to be lobster and steak.  Fulton's seafood and meat combo involves perfectly seared scallops and tender pork belly.  The brilliant idea of having pork belly served with seared scallops takes the dish to an extreme level of satisfaction.  The delicate pair was cooked flawlessly with a melt in your mouth texture.  So satisfying, you'd want to stay faithful to this dish.

http://www.fultonsontheriver.com/
315 N. LaSalle St, Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 822-0100

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The Old Fashioned - Big Wisconsin Flavor

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The Old Fashioned House Burger

This stunning burger is grilled over a live fire and topped with fried onions, Bavaria's hickory-smoked bacon, aged Cheddar, garlic sauce and a soft-cooked egg served on a buttered and toasted roll.  With you choice of side salad or fries, or substitute onion strings, chips, potato salad, or cheese curds for extra, your meal is complete.  The Old Fashioned House Burger packs big flavor; each bite reignites the intense flavors of the succulent patty and crispy hickory-smoked bacon.  The aged Cheddar had the perfect amount of rich and sharpness that sneaks up on you at the end of each bite, wrapping all the big flavors in one mouthful.  Great burger, you gotta try!

Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup

If Wisconsinites can have it their way, the Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup is the choice of liquid they would swim in.  Creamy-slick and sharply-smooth is the amusement your tongue goes through when sipping a spoonful of delightfulness.  And to top it off, they garnish popcorn of all things.  Little do you know that this is the best ingredient to add for texture and also for flavor.  The popcorn soaking up the soup becomes a flavor of its own.  Somehow the combination just works.  I really wished they had added more popcorn.

Green Bay Chili

The Green Bay Chili contains an Old Fashioned secret recipe of seasoned beef and red beans served over spaghetti with shredded Cheddar, onion and sour cream.  I love the ingredients but unfortunately, the flavor lacks a bit.  I wanted more toppings; more cheese, sour cream, even spaghetti.  And also some basic ingredients like salt and pepper.  Otherwise great quality and quantity of beef; in this dish you won't have to ask "Where's the Beef?"

Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder Sandwich

Wood-grilled and slow roasted pork shoulder, hand pulled and topped with pickle relish, Muenster cheese and smoked paprika sauce on Texas toast; a smart formula for great flavor.  Again, the Old Fashioned packs their sandwich with a ton of flavor; melt in your mouth juicy, bold buttery, cheesy and absolutely yummy. 

http://theoldfashioned.com
23 North Pinckney Street #1, Madison, WI
(608) 310-4545

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Imperial Garden brings flavor to Madison

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Peking Duck

If you're someone who have not tried duck or only have had it in a simple preparation, you should definitely try Imperial Garden's Peking Duck.  It's a whole duck specially prepared and served in three courses.  You can tell the dish is takes time since Imperial Garden requests you order at least one day in advance.

The first course is crispy duck skin with madarin crepes (picture on left).  This is my favorite part of the meal because of the unique sweet, crispy, and juiciness you get alone just from the duck skin.  Usually, duck skin has a really thick soft fatty texture, though the thin duck skin had a bacon-like crispiness.  It's thin duck bacon!  Also a highlight, is the sweet glaze that has a candy mango flavor you can't get enough of.

The second course is duck soup with assorted vegetables (top right).  Similar to other poultry broth, the duck soup has a familiarity though this soup is more flavorful and has great texture with the bits of duck, mushrooms and carrots.

Lastly, the third course is the seasoned sauteed duck served with rice (lower right).  The duck is cooked perfectly, just absolutely tender and moist.  Unfortunately, it has a strong soy sauce presence that masks the gaminess of the duck though because of that, the dish has a one tone flavor.  I wish more flavor is incorporated into this part of the dish especially when the first two courses are packed flavor and uniqueness.  Overall, great experience.  I would definitely ask for the soup and crispy duck skin again. 

Lettuce Wrapped Shrimp

Another great experience is their lettuce wrapped shrimp which can also come in chicken or tofu, appetizer or entree.  I'm admitting, I have returned solely for the lettuce wrapped shrimp.  They serve their lettuce wrap with a choice of lettuce or mandrin pancake, but why choose? Have both lettuce and mandrin pancake which is what I suggest; I wouldn't have it any other way.  You take the pancake and lay a lettuce leaf on top.  Then, layer the mince shrimp and vegetables with the thin crisp noodles and drizzle a spoonful of ginger soy over the spectrum of food.  Either fold it up like a taco or roll it up like an eggroll; prepare yourself, this can get messy.  With your first bite, you'll notice an amazing savory flavor from the shrimp like a smoky hibachi with savory sweet flavor.  In addition, you get all this great crunchy texture from the dry crispy noodle and lettuce and soft texture from season cooked veggies and the thin stretchy pancake.  I totally recommend this dish.  Also be sure to get the ginger soy sauce with it.  It compliments it so perfectly.  I had a server forget it once.

Crispy Duck

Half, bone-in duck seasoned, roasted and fried is definitely a way to overcome the gaminess duck naturally has.  It may be for those who are familiar with the duck flavor though I believe it can be a dish for ones who want to venture out and try something different.  It is very similar to fried chicken but beware, duck meat is all dark meat.  The crisp duck is served with hoisin sauce which helps add sweetness to the dish.  Also, be careful when biting into this meal, you'll notice you'll hit bone more often then you would when eating chicken.

Shrimp Rangoon

Typically you'll find in the appetizer section crab rangoon which is cream cheese with a blend of shredded crab imitation.  Imperial Garden has a different take and has chunks of fresh shrimp mixed in with cream cheese.  The taste and texture of the shrimp is all there and works great with cream cheese and crispy fried wrap.  The sauce has a sweet pineapple flavor and added a bit more, complementing the shrimp rangoon.

Crispy Scallops

And there's always at least one dish that lessens the experience.  Unfortunately, the lightly battered deep fried scallops disappointed me in many ways.  I had expectations since I was content with the other dishes but with this dish, disappointment couldn't have been avoided.  As you can see from the picture alone, you wouldn't have any idea what that was.  Is it chicken nuggets, fried veggie slices, what is it?  Well, it's the crispy scallops which was once probably 3 or 4 perfectly fine scallops until thinly sliced, covered in batter, and fried.  Its basically getting overpriced fish sticks. 

www.imperialgarden.com
2039 Allen Boulevard, Middleton, WI
(608) 238-6445

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AJ Bombers - Fun, Creative, Wisconsin Burger Joint

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Mad Sconnie Burger

Uniquely Madison. As a Wisconsinite, it's only right to try the amazing Mad Sconnie Burger built with Gahnzo patty (grass fed beef blended with Nueske's bacon), frickles (fried pickles), signature bomber sauce (house creamy ketchup), lettuce, tomato all cradled in yummy spicy cheese bread made by our local Stella's Bakery.  Do I really need to say more to have you go out and try this colossal ingredient packed burger?  If that doesn't convince you, think about the tangy crispy fried pickles giving more crunch texture and flavor to the already unique combo patty along with a savory smooth sauce.

Buffalo Chicken Eggrolls

Creative.  Yup that's right, AJ Bombers found a way to differentiate themselves from not just burger joints, but from many other food joints by redesigning a traditional menu and keeping it local.  An example of their uniqueness is found right away in the their appetizer, the Buffalo Chicken Eggrolls.  Chopped buffalo chicken and cheddar cheese wrapped in a crispy eggroll wrapper with a side of ranch or blue cheese.  The crispy wrapper adds a great crunchy texture and something more, stepping outside of the usual soggy breading of a boneless chicken wing.  A fun way to start out.

Brunch Burger

Morning Delight in a Bite.  Imagine your morning with eggs and bacon, turkey and gravy, and pancake with sweet syrup.  Where do you get that in one sitting?  AJ Bombers has your perfect brunch burger on Saturdays and Sundays.  This amazing brunch contains turkey patty, bacon, eggs, gravy mayo and peanut hollandaise on cranberry focaccia bread.  Your first bite will take you to a golden summer morning on a fresh green field.  And the bites after, you'll be twirling in the winds in slow motion.  Yup!  It's that good.

Black Bean Burger

Become a vegetarian for a day.  I said it, VEGETARIAN.  With just black beans mixed with seasonings and panko formed into a patty, layered with lettuce, tomato and Bomber Sauce; the Black Bean Burger packs a surprising amount of flavor and satisfaction.  This is probably the one time something good for your actually tastes good.  Crazy to say, but this burger could be the murderer of my carnivorous days.  For a burger joint, AJ Bombers actually have a great variety of vegetarian options: Veggie Burger, Stuffed 'Shoom and of course the Black Bean Burger.

Mac -n- Cheese Eggrolls

Special Eggrolls Saturdays.  I don't mean the ones stuffed with cabbage, carrots and pork.  Try their specially designed eggrolls on Saturdays.  Ever had Mac -n- Cheese wrapped in a wonton wrapper, or how about chili cheese or BBQ?  Try something different, you'll be amazed how tasty and creative AJ Bombers' staff can wrap things up.  But don't hesitate, these awesome eggrolls won't last.

Poutine

A little different, eh?  To change things up, AJ Bombers goes beyond to bring back the Poutine, a Quebec dish with cheese curds, fries and gravy.  Poutine has made it on my list of comfort food.  The cheese and gravy with fries has all savoriness that makes you feel like you don't need anyone else in the world.  But once you ate all the cheese curds, you will want to your friends.  The simple three-ingredient dish is lovely, but needs all three together to have that perfect bite.  Unfortunately, the only complaint about this dish is that there are not enough cheese curds.  Fries and gravy alone just don't cut it.

Grilled Cheese

Basic to Delicious.  A great combination of Wisconsin cheddar, muenster cheese, bacon, tomato and Bomber Sauce on Panini bread.  The warm ooey-gooey cheeses and crispy bacon makes you melt more than the sandwich itself.

Barrie Burger

Not for everyone.  Another unique burger on their menu is the Barrie Burger, which is layered with a quarter pound burger, lots of bacon, American cheese and natural chunky peanut butter.  Unfortunately, the burger overall tasted identical to a plain peanut butter sandwich.  Although the bacon cheeseburger tasted great together without the peanut butter; the flavor was masked by the peanut butter where the stickiness and dryness had me dipping the burger into a ranch sauce crying for moisture.  And believe it or not, the PB also suppressed the tangy ranch flavor.  I appreciate the idea; unfortunately, the PB didn't work for me.

Peanut Bomb

Peanuts! Heads up! Kaboom!  As you walk in to the restaurant, you'll notice the unpolished floor decorated with peanut shells and beams stretched across the ceiling.  And shortly after you're seated, you'll realize why it's called AJ Bombers.  The bartender dumps a handful of peanuts into the bombshells and launches them.  As it sores towards your table, an exploding sound wakens you and a rain of peanuts drop down a tube into the bucket at your table.  The majority will make it into the bucket, though the combustion can cause peanut debris to fall on the table and floor.  Since the floor already has peanuts sprinkled all over, you are welcome to add to the decor and toss your peanut shells where ever.  A different menu, atmosphere, and vision; I recommend you to try it out and have "AJ Bomb" good time.

ajbombers.com/
201 West Gorham Street, Madison, WI 
(608) 305-4474 

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 ajbombers.com/
1241 N Water Street, Milwaukee, WI 
(414) 221-9999 

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Villa Dolce - A Modern Italian Cafe Experience

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Italian Mac-n-Cheese

Villa Dolce is a cute modern Italian cafe hidden in Downtown Middleton.  The restaurant is a redesign of a historic building, creating an authentic Italian cafe feel with warm colors, decor, and ambiance.  Thanks to restaurant week, I was able to experience the delightfulness the restaurant has to offer.  Their Italian Mac-n-Cheese comes out in a cute little black pot topped with herbs and breadcrumbs.  It was a light, smooth, delicious appetizer made with real Mascarpone, Fontina, and Parmesan cheese.  No heavy cream or runny cheese, just real ingredients and real flavors.

Organic Arugula & Spinach Salad

The ultimate salad can be found here at Villa Dolce with their Organic Arugula and Spinach Salad mixed also with Candied Walnuts, Ricotta Salata Cheese, Mandarin Oranges and a Balsamic Glaze; the perfect combination for flavor and texture.  Something so small can cause such an explosion of greatness in your mouth, you can't get enough.  I never thought I could say this, but I would have been fully satisfied with this salad alone.  But I'm glad I didn't stop there.

Angus Flat Iron Steak

Another explosion of flavor came from their Angus flat iron steak served with smashed fingerling potatoes, demiglace, and green beans.  With the perfect char on the outside and modest amount of demiglace; the already juicy, tender steak was enhanced to a "melt in your mouth" gratification. 

Fresh Lemon Pepper Linguini with Tiger Shrimp & Portabella Mushrooms

Unfortunately, there was a dish that left me a bit of confused since there were so many other great dishes.  The fresh lemon pepper linguini with tiger shrimp & portabella mushrooms tossed in olive oil, garlic, herbs finished with shaved parmesan sound great on the menu though it didn't hit my tongue the way it read.  The lemon pepper linguini was a bit strong and overpowering.  It had the kick I love, unfortunately, it was overpowering the wonderful flavor of the tiger shrimp and everything else on the dish.  This was very disappointing since the shrimp was done so well where it embraced the olive oil and herbs.  The more pasta I ate, the more all the other flavors disappear and suppressed into the pepper.  I do enjoy the real ingredients used though didn't enjoy a plate of pepper.

Cannoli

To break me apart from the disappointing linguini, the cannoli brought me back to the expectation I had from the first course.  Their cannoli was made with Ricotta and Vanilla Powdered Sugar dusted with Cocoa Powder.  The shell had a great solid crunch to balance out the smooth light cream on the inside.

Tiramisu

Another enjoyable dessert was their tiramisu.  Presented in a tin cup, you still get Lady Fingers, Mascarpone Cheese, Powdered Sugar, Expresso and Frangelico.  So light and delightful, you wish you got two.  It's absolutely delicious and the most perfect tiramisu you can imagine coming from a little cup.

You must try this delightful Italian Cafe at least for the wonderful modern Italian ambiance it presents.

Villa Dolce Website
1828 Parmenter Street  Middleton, WI 53562-3175

(608) 833-0033

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The Cheesecake Factory - More Than Just Delicious Desserts

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Strawberry Shortcake

 If it weren't for my sweet tooth, dessert loving friends, I would have missed out on a ton of deliciousness The Cheesecake Factory has to offer.  Of course your first impression on the name itself is sweet rich dessert, so why are there so many people dining outdoors for brunch early Sunday morning at this restaurant?  Well, you just have to make it out there.  The second you enter through the grand doors you'll notice amusement theme feel where the size is grand, the decor is grand, and best of all the food is grand.  To give you an idea, we held up a dollar next to their delicious Strawberry Shortcake.  This simple dessert of shortcake with vanilla ice cream, fresh strawberries and whipped cream was just the perfect touch to complete our meal.  Each strawberry had the perfect sweetness and tartness that complemented the soft flaky cake and creamy dairy.  As grand as this dessert was, the fresh deliciousness had me wishing I didn't have to share.

Miso Salmon

The grand theme is repeated in their menu.  You'll find dishes influenced from all over the nation and world.  You'll find American, Spanish, Italian, Caribbean, Asian, and so on.  The Miso Salmon is served with snow peas, white rice and surrounded by a pool of delicious miso.  The salmon was tender and flaky, cooked with great color and flavor and is enhanced to exquisiteness when touched with the sweet savory miso sauce.

Shepherd's Pie

And even with a grand ceilings, grand furniture, and grand dishes, you can find a homey comfort with their Sheperd's Pie.  Made with ground beef, mushrooms, carrots, peas, zucchini and onion in a savory sauce covered with a mashed potato-parmesan cheese crust.  How much more comforting can that be?  The delicate veggies sits in a spa of savory brown meat base warming you with comfort in each bite.  The mashed potato takes it to another level of comfort as the creaminess of the mashed potato works your taste buds and massages you to tranquility.

www.thecheesecakefactory.com

HuHot Mongolian Grill - Create Your Own Personalized Meal

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This array of colorful dishes comes from HuHot's various selections of food.  You get a menu for appetizers, soups and salads, and dessert.  "A Taste of the Bounty" is a great way to start off especially if you don't know which appetizer to start out with; why not try it all and have crispy eggrolls, potstickers, and rangoons served with sweet and sour sauce?  But wait, it gets even more exciting once you get to their food bar.  The food bar has it all; meat, seafood, noodles, veggies, and plenty of amazing sauces to design your perfect, made-to-satisfaction, personalized Mongolian dish.  Although it seems too good to be true, a few rules of thumb you should follow to make this dream come true.

1. Make room.  Have a small lunch before going to dinner or go when you can literally eat a horse.

2. Small portions.  This leads to more trips to the food bar, which leads to more experience with their varieties and perfecting your dish.

3. Don't be shy.  Go up as much as you'd like, also don't be shy on the ingredients.  The more ingredients you play with, the more you'll find your dishes to be very tasty.

Be sure to follow my rules of thumb and enjoy.

http://www.huhot.com/
610 Junction Road Madison, WI 53717
(608) 827-7110

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Ever Had Yak? Taste of Tibet Can Help

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Yak Meatballs

So where can you get yak in the Midwest?  Well, it's actually closer than you think.  Taste of Tibet doesn't import the lean meat from the Himalayas, they simply get their yak meat from a local farm in the Green Bay area.  Yak is similar to beef though is leaner and actually considered a healthy red meat.  Stay with me here.  Similar but different from beef meatballs, the yak is balled up with ingredients but placed over an amazing sweet and spicy sauce.  You can see and taste the true ingredients of this dish.  Another cool aspect is the steam bun I opted for instead of rice or noodles.  I've had steam buns where they were filled but this was the first where it's purpose is like rice, noodles, or bread.  It's definitely a fun way to eat, I truly recommend the steam buns.

Sha Baleb

Homemade bread stuffed with seasoned ground beef mixed with onion, garlic deep fried served with hot sauce.  This appetizer does have the homemade feel and flavor.  It has a very familiar warm and savory taste.  My only critic is that I would like a bit more stuffing.  The bread-to-stuffing ratio here can take away that homey taste from the stuffing.

Chicken Sizzler

The chicken sizzler, a simple dish with chicken, veggies and noodles served on a hot platter yet it packs an awesome flavor.  The dish comes out carrying the sounds from the kitchen as it continues to sizzle like fire over to the table.  The sauce is very mouthwatering with the perfect savory and salty marriage perfect for the noodles, veggies, and chicken.  The only slight down side was the chicken being a bit over cooked.  Taste of Tibet do serve a Yak Sizzler which I would have to try the next time I go.

www.tasteoftibet.net
430 State Street Madison, WI 53703-2023
(608) 250-2363

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Thai Flavor in Madison - Sa-Bai Thong Thai Cuisine

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Mieng Sabai

A lettuce wrap appetizer different from what you would normally see: served with shrimp, chicken, vermicelli noodle, fresh ginger, peanut, onion, lime, wrapped with green leaf lettuce with special house sauce on the side; this lettuce wrap gives a variety of flavor and texture.  You get a nice clean flavor from the vermicelli noodles that cradle the zesty bitter flavor from the lime and the sweetness from the house sauce.  The raw ginger and peanut adds a kick and a bite, and a crunchy texture to contrast the other ingredients.  A simple dish with pure ingredients, how refreshing is that?

Spring Roll

Spring roll, egg roll, summer roll; what are all these Asian rolls?  A spring roll is more common in the Southeast Asian region where veggies, pork and/or shrimp are wrapped delicately in rice paper (not fried).  At SaBai Thong, this dish is called the "summer roll."  The spring roll shown here is more commonly known as the Southeast Asian Egg Roll and is filled with veggies, pork, and noodles.  The one here is served as a crispy roll filled with ground pork and shrimp, mung bean noodle, cabbage, carrot with house sauce and ground peanut.  The SaBai Thong Egg Roll is seen below.  Be aware that spring rolls and egg rolls are used interchangeably no matter where you go.  SaBai Thong’s Egg Roll consists of ground Chicken and mixed vegetables wrapped with egg roll skin, served golden brown with house sauce.   

Egg Roll

Chicken Pad Thai

A sweet and spicy dish you can get at SaBai Thong is their popular Pad Thai served with small rice noodles stir fried with bean sprouts, green onion, shredded cabbage, egg, yellow tofu, and chicken, topped with cilantro and crushed peanut.  This dish packs a thick flavor of sweetness, which is complemented with the zesty cilantro, and a fresh squeeze of lime juice.  I normally order 3 stars (4 stars for spicy level, 1 being mild) since I don't think their spice level is accurate but please don't leave out any fire from this dish.  It just gives it so much more character and flavor, the extra umph that the dish could use.

Pad Goo Kasat

Speaking of sweet and spicy; for the seafood lovers there's the Pad Goo Kasat, which contains scallop, shrimp, calamari with broccoli, pea pod, baby corn, mushroom, bamboo shoot, cauliflower, and chili paste sauce.  Sounds spicy, but the chili paste is pretty mild compared to the sweetness you get from the sauce.  Again the spiciness can be controlled by the number of "spicy stars" you request.

Crispy Duck

Crispy Duck, a flavorful plump duck served extra crispy with pea pod, mushroom, green onion, baby corn, carrot, pineapple, and Sriracha chili sauce.  The duck was actually somewhat tender, not as tough or dry as I thought it would be, and with the crispy outside and the sriracha chili sauce, each bite had quite a bit of flavor.  Although, if you eat the duck on its own, there's not much flavor there, you'll get the lean, slight gaminess any duck would give.  Also if you are a person sensitive to the bread soaked in water, you may have a texture difficulty here as the crispy outer layer has sogginess in areas where it was sitting in the sauce.

sabaithong.com
2840 University Ave, Madison, WI 53705-3644
(608) 238-3100 ‎

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Nostrano Means Local!

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Seafood Brodetto

As quoted in their website and Italian-English dictionary, Nostrano means local and they do mean local with plenty fresh ingredients from nearby markets.  My first dish was the Seafood Brodetto and it was truly love at first taste.  Not like other seafood soup, Nostrano's Seafood Brodetto has it all.  The tomato-fennel broth is amazing.  It had a savory sweetness, crisp tang, and a bit of a kick from the chile oil.  I could have just only eaten the broth with the perfectly grilled bread and had been fully satisfied.  But they hooked it up with an abundance of seafood: yelloweye snapper, variety of shellfish, and squid.  I thought I would never say this, but this soup got it going on!  This is the best seafood brodetto I've ever had.

Smoked Pork Shank Sandwich

The Seafood Brodetto was amazing, unfortunately I can't say the same about the Smoked Pork Shank Sandwich.  I liked most every ingredient except for one, which was the main ingredient, the pork.  The giardiniera was great with a little kick and sourness, the greens fresh, whole grain mustard flavorful with spice, and the focaccia (flat oven-baked Italian bread) crunchy yet smooth.  So where did it go wrong?  The pork did not have a smoke flavor I was looking for, it had a very strong salty taste.  The bread, veggies, cheese had no chance to come out over the overly salted pork.  Unfortunately, for the sake of my taste buds, I would not be trying this dish again.

Tomato Bruschetta

The menu listed English Pea Bruschetta with fresh mozzarella, marcona almonds, pea shoots, and grilled sourdough; though since they were out of the peas, we had tomatoes to substitute and I must say I truly enjoy the revised bruschetta with tomatoes.  It was a very smart move to keep the tomatoes and mozzarella in big slices like a caprese instead of the familiar diced tomatoes.  It added a lot of body and texture to each bite.  The basil and watercress was a perfect complement to each other, with a bit of spice and tang without overpowering other flavors.  A unique tasty bruschetta; no regrets missing out on the English peas.

Torta

Nostrano definitely focus on creativity and bringing different flavors to the table.  They show this through their dishes and also their dessert.  The torta contained chocolate-hazlenut sponge, coffee, mousse, maple agrodolce (sweet and sour), coconut gelato (egg shape in picture).  It is what it sounds like, "a lot going on."  This dessert is unique as it contains many texture and flavor; layered with soft and thick chocolate, smooth and rich flavors; crush nuts and silk gelato, crunchy and melty.  Now put it all together and you have everything in one bite.

www.nostranomadison.com/

111 South Hamilton Street, Madison, WI

(608)395-3295

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